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About MasterKey
MasterKey is a hosted service developed and maintained by Index Data. It uses Ajax to improve the speed and functionality of simultaneous multi-target search and retrieval. The core Web service engine, on which MasterKey is based, is called Pazpar2, Index Data's second generation metasearch engine.
The MasterKey hosted metasearch service is now, and will continue to be, freely usable for searching selected open content online resources and library catalogs. Commercial resources and additional catalogs can be added to the service using the fee-based version of MasterKey.
For cost quotes or additional information on the fee-based service, write to info@indexdata.com or call 860-389-1568. MasterKey hosted services can also be obtained by contacting one of our marketing partners, CARE Affiliates (info@care-affiliates.com, 866-340-9580) or LibLime (info@liblime.com, 888-564-2457).
Masterkey features available in the fee-based service:
- Additional target selection capabilities
- Enhanced authentication functionality
- Branding
- Search interface customization
All comments and/or suggestions for improvements and developmental priorities are welcome. You can sign on to the YAZ listserv at lists.indexdata.com/yaz to engage in a public dialog about this new product.
About Pazpar2
Pazpar2 (pronounced "passe-partout") enables fast sorting and merging across multiple target databases, as well as faceted search limiting and search re-directing. Pazpar2 has been released under the GNU General Public License and is available for downloading at http://www.indexdata.com/pazpar2.
As with all Index Data's open source distributions, Pazpar2 is fully backed by the best commercial support in the library market. Institutional users will pay only for optional installation, customization and support services, if they choose to obtain them, but the software itself will be freely usable and will not require ongoing license fees.
To participate in the Pazpar2 community, please subscribe to the YAZ mailing list at http://lists.indexdata.dk/yaz.
About the Database Connectors Used by MasterKey
Pazpar2 supports Z39.50/SRU in native mode. Any target server that conforms to the Z39.50 or SRU standard protocols are searched using Z39.50/SRU connectors maintained by Index Data. Additional translators are supplied by WebFeat, Inc.
Index Data means business for open source and open standards.
Using the facets
MasterKey comes with a set of facets that can be used to limit the number of search results and so retrieve the most relevant records. The default facets include topical subjects, authors, dates and the source catalogs. The facets menu appears during the search in the left panel next to the results list. The terms displayed under each facet are sorted according to the frequency of the term within the search results. When a term is clicked, it appears in the navigation strip (on top of the results list view) and the results are narrows to those records satisfying this additional criterion. A limiting term can be removed from the query at any time by clicking the appropiate entry in the navigation strip.
Advanced search
The advanced view of the search is expanded by clicking on the link next to the search button. Using this form it is possible to specify particular fields (author, title, date, etc.) in which to search for the terms, and therefore to return more relevant results. The advanced search interface follows the user's actions, including clicking the facets and the navigation strip, so that the current query is always reflected in the form.
Navigation strip
The navigation strip presents the current query in a convenient form that allows individual terms to be easily removed from the search (by clicking on them) and new terms to be added (by clicking the facets). If the search is limited to a single library catalog the navigation strip will contain an appropriate indication.
Sorting
The default sorting in MasterKey is based on the relevance of the search results. This can be changed and the results sorted by date of publication, title or author. The appropriate sorting criterium can be selected from the drop down menu next to the navigation strip.
Resource selection
Depending on the user's privileges a source selection menu item may be available. When clicked, a pop-up layer with a tree of sources (catalogs), sorted by categories, will appear. Single sources or whole categories of souces can be selected by clicking a checkbox in the tree. The following searches will be limited to the sources selected in the tree.
In case of problems
If you are experiencing problems with MasterKey please check that:
- Your browser fullfills the minimum requirements
- Your firewall does not block execution of the scripts required by this site to operate. (In general if you run your firewall at high security settings masterkey.indexdata.com has to be added to the trusted or allowed group of sites.)
- if you are using Internet Explorer 7 with a non-default security level please ensure that the page belongs to the Allowed Sites group
Browser requirements:
- Internet Explorer 6 or greater
- FireFox 2.0 or greater